


run (til the day i die)

by peskylilcritter



Series: after the end of the world (Ben and Ani) [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Grief/Mourning, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-14 16:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19276750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peskylilcritter/pseuds/peskylilcritter
Summary: Shmi Skywalker's death is what breaks the galaxy, from a certain point of view.Anakin leaves, Obi-Wan grieves, and Padmé gains a friend. (Really, she is the only one who gains anything but painful experience.)





	run (til the day i die)

Whatever Padmé and Anakin might have had dies with Shmi.

Padmé knows it the moment she sees him, carrying his mother’s body.

When she speaks to him he’s all guilt and anger, and defeat.

“I should have saved her,” he shouts, then sinks to the floor in a heap of misery.

“Ani, you can’t save everyone,” Padmé says, hoping it’s the right thing to say.

“But she was my mother,” Anakin whispers, head in his hands. “I promised her-”

He refuses to speak after that. He drinks the water she brings him, but won’t touch the food. He doesn’t even move from his spot until she tells him about the message from Obi-Wan.

*

Obi-Wan needs the support more than she does but that doesn’t mean she can’t take comfort in his presence, his friendship.

As the war drags on and he’s on Coruscant ever more rarely, he comes to see her more and more often. She wonders, sometimes, why he comes to see her when he surely has friends in the Temple, who understand him better than she ever could.

In the beginning they speak mostly about the political situation and the war, but one day Obi-Wan breaks a comfortable silence with the words, “I don’t think the others understand why I miss him so much.”

Padmé wonders what to say to that, what to think.

“As if none of them have lost Padawans. I thought maybe Master Yoda- But no. They all act as if he did me some great favor by leaving and I cannot understand why.” He lifts a hand to his face, swiping at his tears before they can trickle into his beard.

Padmé gets up from her chair and sits on the couch next to Obi-Wan. She reaches for his hand, slowly, to give him the chance to accept or reject the offer.

His grip is tight, not quite painful. His tears flow quicker and this time he lets them.

Padmé wraps an arm around his shoulders and pulls him closer. This she can do, wordless comfort and understanding without judgement.

*

When they get reassigned Blue and Seven find themselves unable to agree on the reason; punishment or reward.

Kenobi is fucking insane; reckless and completely lacking in self-preservation, and seemingly incapable of taking care of himself. Commander Cody’s instruction are clear if lacking in detail. “Stay with him at all times and keep him safe to the best of your ability.”

They can’t keep up with him when he starts chasing after someone, jumping impossibly far and running impossibly fast, unless he warns them so they can get the necessary equipment to keep up with all the crazy Jedi stuff. He never warns them so after a while they start carrying around things they’re technically only supposed to have when absolutely necessary. (Commander Cody sighs deeply and signs off on the requisition forms.)

Eventually Seven begins to notice other things, like how their General hardly sleeps and how rarely he touches people. When he tells Blue, Blue frowns and adds that Kenobi hardly eats either.

“Well,” Seven says. “We’re gonna have to do something about that.”


End file.
